And you will die if you don't make
a profit. Because. They say they will be hard
to read. And.
In you. May have all the money
we haven't really would rather be than
a paper dollar. The gun.
And. Numbers and. Tests we.
Write. My.
Body.
At all. That's what they. Turn. Their power away.
We. Will not be dissuaded and we will not turn around. And bury.
Them that we. May see. The
world.
We're.
Not.
At. The start talking about the U.S.
Blockade on Cuba so. Cuba had
a revolution in one nine hundred fifty nine and before that revolution the United
States basically Cuba or least all the important resources in Cuba it's the same
story that happened in Latin America in
a lot of other countries around the world and the conditions for Cubans were
terrible and on top of owning all the natural resources the United States also used
Cuba disgusting prostitution. Were all the famous people.
The Rat Pack Frank Sinatra and if you've seen Godfather Part two you see them
coming up the Cuba. So they had
a revolution in one nine hundred fifty nine led by Fidel Castro and after the
revolution they nationalized all the major industries in Cuba United States lost
a lot of money overnight Cuban people gained a Larisa's over an
a good thing in my opinion
a bad thing in the opinion of the United States government who instantly started
attacking Cuba. These were through terrorist operations through cutting off trade
because previously they had made Cuba dependent on the United States for sugar
trade. And the blockade I think started nine hundred fifty nine was officially
announced in one thousand nine hundred two so right now according to the United
States government it is illegal for U.S.
Companies to trade with Cuba except in very specific circumstances and even more
than that the United States government makes it illegal for subsidiaries of U.S.
Companies to trade with Cuba and can actually prosecute and fines companies for
trading with Cuba there was
a Canadian man who was put in jail in the United States because he sold water
purification tablets to Cuba and then moved to Philadelphia afterwards is in jail
if you want to just Google all of the billion dollar fines that banks pay yearly to
the United States for their crime of handling money with Cuban organizations any
ship that docks in the U.S.
Port cannot go to Cuba for I think it's six or six months afterwards
that makes a if you're a ship and you're there you're
a commercial enterprise are you going to choose between a country of eleven and
a half million or a country of three hundred thirty million the U.S.
Blockade on Cuba targets Cuba it tries to make the Cuban people weak it targets the
most vulnerable which are children all the people sick people over ninety percent
of the new medicines that are created in the world are made by U.S.
Subsidiary companies Cuba it is illegal for Cuba to buy those medicines children
undergoing chemotherapy in Cuba. Vomit at least ten to fifteen times
a day because the medicine against vomiting is made by a U.S.
Subsidiary company and therefore is illegal for them to have it is
a cruel inhumane insane policy perpetrated by
a government of the United States of America and the Cuban people know very well
that this is the government of the United States of America not the people of the
United States of America so that blockade has been going on for over fifty years
and the passes for peace caravan to Cuba started in the early ninety's when the
Soviet Union fell and Cuba lost literally ninety percent of its trade over named.
Canada has Canada has about eighty percent of its trade with the United States
government right now with companies United States right now and trying to think of
what the economy of candor would be like without that trade over nade is
unfathomable how underdeveloped country who is blockaded loses ninety percent of
its trade overnight how it survives is incredible the average Cuban person lost
twenty pounds during the ninety's they called it
a special period because things were that desperate and instead of trying to help
the Cuban people the United States increased the blockade made it harder for them
to get access to food hard to get access to medicine. And the revolution Walker who
had been involved in passage of peace into religious foundation for Community
Organization and other solidarity projects for a long time before that he is
a contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr saw what was happening in Cuba and decided
to organize a caravan
a caravan bringing aid and the for that first it was just powdered milk Bibles but
it was an expression of the solidarity of the United States people for the people
of Cuba. You'll you'll see videos and pictures from that first caravan in the
ninety's of these priests trying to bring powdered milk across the border to Cuba
on the US Mexico border and getting the crap kicked out of them by these border
officers. But guess what there was video cameras there and that made the news
and that started
a big fuss because this policy this inhumane policy the United States government
has been trying to keep under wraps for the past fifty years was coming to light
they were forced to let the aid through that year and they've been forced to let
the aid through for the past twenty four years.
Thank you and it's incredible because that that's not this the passerby's caravan
to Cuba isn't sponsored by any huge organization it isn't getting money from huge
corporations it's
a grassroots community initiative organize across North America and across the
world and Seattle's been a big part of that for
a long time so the Pastors for Peace caravan to Cuba is
a really important initiative because one of the revolutions Walker said is it's
a win win situation we win if they try and stop the aid from crossing the border
because it publicize the blockade and the more people that know about the U.S.
Blockade on Cuba especially the United States the faster it's going to end because
nobody will accept it it's insane the second thing if we get the aid through we're
bringing tons of aid to
a country that's blockaded we're bringing food medicines vehicles that are really
necessary and the model of the revolution Walker said is if there's
a law against loving my neighbor I want to break it and I think that's
a very good model in the something that the caravan has. Put forth for the past two
decades and the work of that we continued again this year so. I just
want to say that the United Nations is in session right now and Cuba is again
presenting a motion against
a blockade on Cuba it's been two decades that the United Nations has voted
overwhelmingly against the U.S.
Blockade on Cuba the only countries that still vote in favor of the block here are
the United States Israel who has trade with Cuba. And the Marshall
Islands which is per capita receives more foreign aid than Israel because it's such
a small island so basically a U.S.
Military base the rest of the world is united against the blockade on Cuba even the
government of Canada with all the insane terrible policies it has that are similar
to the United States' policy is they just have less money and less weapons to do it
with votes against
a blockade every year that's how crazy the blockade is so people around the United
States Canada have been uniting against
a blockade through the passes for peace caravan for Cuba for twenty for for over
twenty years this was the twenty fourth caravan to Cuba so I'm going to I'm going
to I'm going to talk about the border crossing that we did from the Canada into the
United States then we went to Mexico Aaron's going to take it over in Cuba and then
I'm going to come back and wrap up with hopefully some profound wisdom comments
about the blockade in Cuba but the way we start every caravan at least in the
Pacific Northwest is we have
a picnic and everybody gets together the Peace Arch work crossing people from the
U.S. People from Canada get together we have
a big potluck much like this I said for it's water there's watermelon too because
it's the summer and we get together all the care of
a nice us talk about why they're going on the passage of peace caravan to Cuba and
people like Pat from Seattle talk about how she is reading poetry off his i Phone
here. To talk about why the caravans important and it's
a really great place because you have all the border traffic going by on the Peace
Arch were crossing and we've got big signs against a blockade in Cuba. So we have
a picnic and then everybody gets together and marches forward towards the border
crossing which is over here Peace Arch over here humanitarian aid over here it's
really neat because like I said the part of the the cars are just parked there
they've got nothing else to do but watch us and listen to what we have to say and
of course we have a lot to say to them about the U.S.
Blockade on Cuba this year when we approached the border these border guards came
up and said You guys have to get off this grassy knoll here or we're going to
arrest you we've been on that grass you know before they've never done made that
same thread last year they tried to stop the aid for two days the they refused to
let our humanitarian aid through but we had
a forty eight hour continuous protest and made them really get the through this
year they said you guys can come through there but the people here that are
accompanying you cannot stand here we're going to arrest you so it turns out if we
just cross that we just stepped about ten feet back or on the other side of the
road we could still do what we wanted we did that went inside the border offices
and I got I've never been asked such crazy questions in my life they went through
every single thing in every single bag they had to look at our Cuban flags too. And
asked us this questions I made no sense tried to intimidate us tried to confuse us
but it's simple we're going to Cuba with humanitarian aid it's our right as human
beings to do this and we're going to do it regardless of what you guys say.
Thank you so that took about an hour and
a half the thing is the longer we're in there the longer this people standing on
this grassy nor chanting against
a blockade on Cuba the more cars are being educated about the blockade on Cuba
that's an artistic photo of her speaking at the border so he's on the he's on the
north talking about the blockade on Cuba so after an hour and
a half. We made over the border so that is people taking
a photo from the grassy knoll. Crossed the border very very happy and then that's
Are all of us and that's where we were standing and that's where the grassy knoll
people were so we made over the border we're happy the humanitarian aid is going to
Cuba again for the twenty fourth time and the passage for peace caravan to Cuba. So
after this we all boarded
a flight and went to Mexico City we stayed at Judy's house before that we
celebrated after that and that's
a really good thing is that the caravan brings people together I would have never
met any of the more most of these people that hadn't been for the caravan and the
unity that it shows despite borders despite blocky this despite everything that
we're united and we've got this current project and we're going to see it through
some of the caravan really really exemplifies so we celebrated and then we went to
Mexico into Mexico we had a protest as part of the caravan in front of the U.S.
Embassy in Mexico it was raining like crazy but there were still seven hundred
people there in front of the U.S.
Embassy protesting the blockade on Cuba this guy was on stilts in
a big Cuba uniform and my my Blackberry camera wasn't good enough to get the total
length of what he was doing but it was awesome. So if you never been to the U.S.
Embassy in Mexico City you will see that it's basically caged in. And I thought
this cage was temporary because of the protest but then I realize
that this cages around the U.S.
Embassy in Mexico permanently and these are yellow ribbons that activists in Mexico
City put on. This month as part of the Yellow Ribbon campaign for the for the
freedom of the Cuban Five so. I kind of liked it because the U.S.
Is trying to block eat Cuba but they've put up their own blockades around
themselves because people are so unhappy with everything they're doing and they has
a really big ribbons on the U.S.
Embassy in Mexico which I thought were awesome so I'm going to stop right now
because from Mexico City we fly to Cuba and go to Santiago on the east and going to
talk about that and then I will return but thank you very much for your attention
thank you. As was mentioned earlier my name is Aaron McKinney I'm working with
our communities in solidarity with Cuba and I join Thomas and Tamar who's not here
right now for this year's caravan so picking up where Thomas left off we flew to
Cuba spend some time and have Ana and then immediately went to Santiago
on the eastern side of the island this is unique for the caravan because it's the
first time that passes for peace has gone to that part of the island and it was
very special for us because of the very important history that. Plays in the Cuban
revolution as well as the huge diverse culture that exists in that city the vibrant
atmosphere but also the. Current hurricane reconstruction efforts right now are
centered in Santiago so in coming to
Santiago we were immersed in history one of the first things we did was we went to
see Jose Marti's tomb at
a cemetery in Santiago basically what this is is the changing of the guard ceremony
at the at the Jose Marti tomb. It was very special for us to see this didn't
just happen for us we found out this took place every half an hour that these
guards were doing going back and forth and as part of this tour we
placed special wreaths. On. Within there
so that was us just getting into. And visiting the Jose
Marti two and this is the view from the top from the top of the steps and basically
it was
a Marty's figure within Cuba and within Cuban history is that he's seen as the
father of Cuba it was a freedom fighter he was
a writer and he led the fight against the Spanish but he also
warned the Cuban people of the threat of the United States to the north trying to
annex Cuba and within Cuba today. Words
his ideas are mashed with Fidel's ideas or mash with Raul Castro's ideas and help
steer the ideology of the country another thing that we were able to see when we
were there is
a museum in basically what this is is. In one nine hundred fifty three
young Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. Organized and planned an attack
on the army garrison is located in Santiago and it was hoped that this attack
would spark would be they would be able to gain the munitions gain the firepower
and also gain the confidence of the Cuban people to take to rise up against the but
these to regime this houses where it was all planned. More than one
hundred sixty young people from across Cuba especially gathered here in secret
and planned this attack on them and we can go through some of the slides to show
that. They bought this farmhouse and claimed that they were growing
chickens and this chicken coop they held vehicles they held munitions and in some
of the. Areas surrounding the house in wells they were storing guns and basically
they held the facade that they were just farmers and these are just bullet holes
that were left in the farmhouse after the failed attack along. So here's some of
the care and he says just learning more about the history and some of the people
involved and the the attack in the planning which brings us to
Moncada itself the next place we visited was the army Garrus and this is where the
attack took place this attack was
a failure of the hundred sixty people who took part in the
in the attack on most of them were tortured and killed
a few survived and were able to escape the Fidel escape. When I made escaped
a number of other people escaped but majority of them were tortured and killed by
henchmen so we walked through this. Through this museum looking at different
aspects of the Cuban of the history of the Cuban revolution and the lead up to this
attack this picture is actually the grandma which. The Cuban revolutionary sailed
over from Mexico to Cuba and it was a it was
a replica of it and this is
a really sweaty Thomas and I standing in front of the. Long Count I can tell it's
kind of them because the angle of the shop wasn't very good but were there. That's
a better one the those are replicas of the showing the
firefights and the battle that took place between. His military dictators
military and the the Cuban revolutionaries and they just sing the thing that we
learned about this museum is that it's also. In the sixty's they transformed it
from a Gerritsen into elementary school as well as
a museum for the revolution and I know some people have gone there in previous
years this room that room was actually just
a classroom full of students the other important aspect of. Which was
a really nice coincidence for us is that we arrived in Santiago just. Just as it
was taking place and incentive is the biggest con of all in all of Cuba Street upon
street block upon block was full of people full of them this is one of the nights
we were going out to see the floats basically at night you can walk out to the
street and all you can hear was the conga and you could feel people moving just
just at your feet and
this is. One of the billboards that is right next to one of the main squares
incense in. The fog the final part of both
Santiago that was one of the main reasons why we chose my pastors chose to go there
this year is
a fact that. Was extremely devastated by Hurricane Sandy in
October two thousand and twelve these are just some of the pictures showing the
devastation that Sandy caused in less than five hours flowing through the country.
I was specifically the city it hit other provinces but in Santiago It was
especially severe because it's the second most populous country city and within the
country and the place was devastated more than fifty percent of houses were smashed
. More than twenty thousand houses were completely obliterated as you can see
there's trees falling all over the road telephone lines electricity lines went down
the whole country the whole city was basically completely devastated by this
hurricane and this is
a. Who went and visited Santiago immediately after the hurricane to witness the
damage that took place and helped to organize the reconstruction so what we did as
part of the caravan is we brought humanitarian aid to Cuba dissents Jago for the
hospitals but we also took part in reconstruction efforts this is learning about
some of the reforestation practices that Cuba taking on in the city of Santiago has
been taking on as well ninety percent of the trees in Santiago which was known as
a city of shade were up rooted by Sandy so they explain about the huge
leap forward that they have to make with being able to bring in trees and help me
force the city so Karen East is had
a chance to dig. They some holes plant some trees and.
I think part of
a community process to rebuild. Another thing that we were able to take part in is
that reconstruction of housing as I mentioned fifty percent of houses in that
city were smashed twenty thousand completely obliterated but in the process since
they reported that forty two percent of the housing issues in Santiago were
repaired they were resolved but it's such
a huge. Huge amount of work that needs to take place to continue so this is one of
the housing complexes digging
a foundation some caravan uses. In their hands dirty sweating is really hot
when we were there but getting involved with the Cuban construction crew as well as
events Ramos were grade which was they're taking part in the same project to go
along and here we are learning about the efforts that the city has been making
to re house all the people who've lost housing. And.
This is just. The creativity that involved in reconstruction that
doesn't just see we've got to how those people we've got to build blocks for people
to sleep in but that this community which was in the south of.
Who had access always experienced flooding had always experienced severe conditions
. Was rebuilding housing for their people and for their community members and they
decided to build a cafe in the next slide we're going to see that they just have
a regular cafe built they had
a cafe in the center of the community with the butt of
a plane sticking into it and the plane itself is
a cafe where you can go and sit down you can have waiters and waitresses come up
and ask you what you want and you're basically flying above. I've never seen this
before I don't know if I'll see it again but it's just something that shows that
out of the ordinary that they'll do to make things extraordinary for the people of
Cuba. Probably the. Most special part of the
time in Santiago was July twenty sixth July twenty sixth was the sixtieth
anniversary of the attack on the Moncada army garrison every year there's
a celebration but this one was very special because it was the sixtieth So the
pastor for peace care of an East. Received special invitation to take part in the
celebration when we got there we woke up at three A.M.
Walked down the street got in line realized we were just four four rows from the
front sunrises and the dignitaries arrive and people who started
going up to the stage to speak first of all we noticed
a guy in Venezuelan track jacket realized that Nicolas Maduro the president of
Venezuela was part of the celebration he came from.
Cuba to take part in this momentous occasion and talked about all of the gains that
have been made in Venezuela under Chavez and as part of the Bolivarian Revolution
and the amount of credit that the Venezuelan people to Cuba as part of this process
for the support and solidarity when he was done he said down and
another guy got up a little shorter and we realized that if
a morale as the president of Bolivia was there that's actually
a little bit later but. Gets up and he starts talking and he starts talking about
the process in Bolivia about how indigenous people have to reach have transformed
their conditions in that country and against the U.S.
Domination of their people following that dignitaries from Europe way
President of Europe way we had people from presidents and
leaders from all the countries across the Caribbean small island of even one
hundred thousand people their president is getting up and talking. Talking about
how now they have
a foundation for self sustainability they have engineers they have doctors they
have citizens who receive cataract surgery and they owe these gains in the what
they have to what Cuba was able to provide for them and we were sitting
I mean the three of us were from Canada we're sitting with people from across the
United States and. I mean we were reflecting on how many times that we've been
seeing Stephen Harper speak and there's
a yeah I can't even get in on President let alone every single president of Latin
America and across the Caribbean it just goes to show how much Cuba and the Cuban
revolution has guided. The transformation of societies and
the transformation of struggle across the western hemisphere to show these leaders
are all in Cuba for this day finally we had
a speech by Castro on July twenty sixth to give special mention of the care then he
gave special mention to Lucius Walker for the years of solidarity with Cuba it was
a big honor for all of us and he went on to talk about how the Cuban revolution
developed the ideals of the young people he talked about the
struggles in Cuba since one thousand fifty nine with
a daily hourly and by the minute aggression from the United States and he talked
about the challenges today with the younger generations and how many generations
have grown up within the Cuban revolution not just before the revolution after but
growing up as part of the revolution and the fact that in Cuba they have confidence
in the continuation of this continuation of the socialist ideals of what Marty what
Fidel laid as part of the foundation of the Cuban revolution. So as far as
being there it was
a great closing to our experience in Santiago and I think the next clip is the
three of us just totally mesmerized by the day's activities.
It was it was quite a day. I think Thomas is going to talk a little bit more about
a little bit more about. OK Usually the caravan spends more time in Havana
this year because of the hurricane and because of the reconstruction work we spent
more time in Santiago but we did spend time in Havana at the University of Havana.
And we did we're going to miss
a slide of all this let you know. That we did meet with the families of the Cuban
Five and the case of the Cuban Five is going to be explained
a little bit later tonight on to say there are five Cuban political prisoners four
of them still in jail in the United States one of them returned to jail fifteen
years they've been in jail for defending the country of Cuba against U.S.
Sponsored terrorism it's an insane and injustice and every time we go to Cuba on
the caravan we meet with the families we meet with their wives who have not been
able some of them not been able to visit their husbands for fifteen years we meet
with their children who are no longer children and had to go through that whole
process without their father and who still have the rest of their life to go and
earn our living and with their families anyone who meets the families of the Cuban
Five becomes committed to the case and it's
a really important part of the caravan and we also got some time to see some of her
than
a this is the University of Havana where actually Fidel started organizing and if
you google some pictures of lots of really good pictures of protests on the steps
there against the he said
a killer ship. One thing I wanted to say about the caravan this year is the people
that came were awesome they were really excited to learn they wanted to see
everything they wanted to see the good stuff they wanted to see the challenges and
they wanted to be honest about it. And one thing that I'll tell anybody who's
thinking about going to Cuba and I think everybody here should try to go to Cuba.
Is that the more you give when you're in Cuba the more you receive the more you
want the more you're trying to share yourself the more you put yourself out there
despite language barriers the more you'll get back these are women from. That which
is an organization and Oakland and they were just so pumped to be in Cuba looking
at community organizing and because they do community organizing in Oakland on
a pretty big scale but to see what you can do when you have
a whole country dedicated to community organizing you have
a whole con economy based on dignity and social justice and they're really pumped
and they took that sweet photo with Fidel up in the mountains. And this is
us at three in the morning those are invitations to go to the July twenty sixth
event and just people they didn't matter that it was three in the morning people
were just so pumped to be part of the program and like I said the caravan brings
people together from all over who got our crew from Vancouver from New York from
Memphis. Actually
a woman studying an American woman standing at the Latin American School of
Medicine. She is from the Midwest. And we're all together there pumps to be in
Cuba psyched about the program. And I guess said the language barrier doesn't
matter in Cuba if you're willing to go there and put your heart out and you really
go there and try and meet with people. Fifty years old people have been living in
a society that promotes community that promotes
a quality of the current promotes people talking to each other on
a regular basis about important things and that makes
a different kind of person even from the kids you'll notice how happy they are and
how important it is for them to learn to talk with other people. Had to put this in
here this is a choir this is the world's largest choir bear. There is
a quiet bear museum in the spirit to use in Cuba why a bear is
a traditional Cuban Sure you might have heard about it because when some of the
Americans happen in Colombia
a couple years ago Obama tried to get himself made one so he could go there and
blend in and for the reflection about your blocking our country if you're trying to
front on the sure that comes from our country Nice try body so you can get
a lot of famous people why beer as you can see them in there you can see Fidel's
Raul Chavez. Famous women who are made as well but you will not find Obama stupid
go bare in there and you will find the world's largest quiet as well the other part
of the caravan as it's been going on for twenty years and there's people like Bill
Hill who have been on every single caravan for the past twenty years and have this
insane accumulation of knowledge and experience and dedication and when you mix
that with these younger people who are just to be in Cuba we're learning about
social justice
a lot of the people who are or someone associated with the Occupy movement in New
York we're learning about these ideas of community and they're finally seeing them
applied and to be able to have that exchange between young and old Bill to be able
to exchange everything that he's learned and to be able to be reenergized by these
people they're really taking on the project and being and going forward with it and
the conversations on the bus just didn't stop they weren't always about Cuba they
were always saying all Cuba is great this Cuba is great that people were asking
questions people were trying to delve deep but people were really really impacted
by what they were seeing they were provoked by it and if you go to Cuba. You will
notice that for sure. Sometimes things don't go the way you planned. We
have more experience with bus breakdowns on previous caravans because we take all
the school buses across the United States and being there and the loaded to being
to Cuba this year the caravan was organized differently we flew to Mexico City and
then flew to Cuba but we still managed to have
a bus break down while in Cuba. I think it was the last day too was our last bus
ride but I think it was just kind of like for for old times sake we got
a bus break down but everybody everybody just got out people started drawing
sharing poetry I was in the shade over here we were sharing stories that I won't
repeat because there's
a Karen camera here but the bus got fixed and we went for and that's the caravans
about sometimes the food isn't when you wanted to come sometimes there's not enough
space sometimes it's really hot and you don't have enough water but the fact that
you're there for
a reason the fact that you can see people around there who are there for the same
reasons and you're moving forward together all those kind of bombs those take outs
they just become tires they get fixed and you move on and that's part of how the
caravan works I wanted to put this slideshow out there because the two women in the
middle are American students who are studying medicine for free at the Latin
American School of Medicine in Cuba among many students. But we brought them to me
with manual yet they was on the far right he's been in the he's one of the
revolutionaries who's been in it from the beginning since before nine hundred fifty
nine and the clandestine movement he organized with Che Guevara as well as us as an
error was the son of Antonio Guerrero SR one of the Cuban Five. And we were able to
meet with them and kind of talk about the the young and the old new generation
older generation and how they work together in the Cuban revolution and it was
really great for us to be able to talk with them. I just wanted to this is this is
the poetry part but I'll give some context this man right here is name is Danielle
he's a rapper from New York City he's
a Cuban American rapper from New York City he's the same age of me as me his dad
fled Cuba after the revolution his dad actually fled stole
a boat and blew it up and came to New York and was actually affiliated with
organizations that the Cuban Five are infiltrating so he didn't grow up in
a very pro Cuba atmosphere he was basically forbidden to talk about it and. His
father when he told him that he was going to go to Cuba on the caravan said Don't
bother calling anymore we don't have
a relationship so for him after thirty one years. To go to Cuba
for the first time was
a really big deal. And to see him in Cuba for the first time was
a really big deal. And he was just this way that way trying to take it all in.
And it was just really incredible to see the way that he was impacted by it. And I
made reference to how many people here have seen The Godfather Part two. OK we've
got enough people this story is going to work so I made reference to the part where
they talk they've been there all the mobsters are there and they've got the cake
and they're cutting up the cake which is which as Cuba on the cake in the final You
got what we wanted state help with our initiatives. And he said the same thing.
But he was talking about the hip hop initiatives that he was doing he was talking
about coordinating activities between Cuban rappers and American rappers and he
were put in he was instantly put in touch with people from the Cuban government the
Ministry of Culture who are excited about his project and for him to come from the
United States to think about China or ever relate to the U.S.
Government on what he was doing and if I when he came to Cuba and they were so
excited about what he was putting forward. And so I wrote
a poem to Danielle because. It was really just amazing to see what he was going
through this some hip hop references in here that. I didn't get until I talked to
him about it and I just I put them in there because he knew that he would like it
but other than that I think that you guys who understand this and references to New
York because
a lot of people who are from the brigade of the caravan were from New York so. This
program this poem is called to Danielle A Tree Grows in Santiago
despite heat and hurricanes and it still grows in Brooklyn beating back bulldozers
and Sandy's rains in Havana
a tree is growing too and in Buffalo as Julian said the tree of God still collects
do they go they grow out of the cracked concrete which is as figurative as it is
concrete we can tell because of where the sidewalk hits our feet where our souls
and our souls meet no gold between us but we've still got Cuban Linx despite
blockades despite angry father's tirades I'm not asking you to look at the island
through rose colored colored glasses. But if we understand the world in terms of
masses and classes is from Cuba we should be taking the classes and not the
US suits who should be telling us who fails and who passes as Chavez said this
smell like sulfur gases. Are so enormous in Seattle they don't they say that's part
of us you know to the case almost no song was us on head office yesterday I don't
the Chrissie that's on with us and now we're in the sunlight because we fight right
right we feel so lit up in the Santiago street lights talking in terms of I will
instead of I might for that's
a poem thank you thank
you. For this one quickly so I thought blushing we also Daniel was able to
collaborate with Cuban hip hop artists that we work with and then who were called
up this year on within three hours they had about three quarters of two songs made
and for Daniele to be able to collaborate with Cuban musicians and to express
himself and he felt so what home was an incredible part and that's what the caravan
it's part of breaking down these blocky this insane he's thirty one years he's
never been able to travel to Cuba it's insane that three hundred thirty million
people it's a it's illegal for you guys to travel to Cuba it's insane that Cuba
a third world country has lost over
a trillion dollars because of this blockade and that's why the that's why the
caravan exists and that's why we're going to continue to continue to fight it. And
on the caravan you get the feel of things
a lot of cute Cuban kids as well and these are the kind of kids that if they need
some specialized medicines can get them and these are the kind of kids that the
Cuban revolution is fighting to protect in the caravan is fighting to be
a part of that process as well. We have
a tradition in Vancouver that all our slide shows and. Sunsets in Cuba
is this kind of what we do but I thought I was going to break the tradition this
time and put this view this picture of the Cuban flag waving there's
a storm in the distance and that's very I thought it was very appropriate because
the Cuban flag has fly has flown proud insightful phone strong in the face of so
many storms but it continues to fly and there's us there's
a saying in Cuba they say you cannot blockade hold. And you definitely cannot
blockade hold and the blockade is going to end we are going to be part of ending
the U.S.
Blockade on Cuba and the caravan is an important part of that so one one last thing
on my side I lied I'm going to put a science
a sense that in here just for tradition sake we really want to thank you guys I
think we went
a bit longer than we told how that we would be it's hard not to go on and on about
the passage of these caravan to Cuba and about Cuba in general because it is such
an inspiring example we work hard in Vancouver for the Cuban Five against
a blockade our work is important. But the most important work is here in the United
States you guys live in the belly of the beast we live in kind of the intestines.
The blood the blockade has to end us people in the incredibly important part of
that movement the caravan and shown that I want to encourage everybody the Seattle
U.S.
Cuba Friendship Association is still organizing is still fighting for social justice
to educate people about Cuba they're doing great work and I want to ask you guys.
Work with them as much as you can because they're great people and the initiative
is really important so thank you very much everybody.
I will not celebrate Columbus. Oh I will turn here the way.
I live not celebrate Columbus. There is no honor on that day
on that day when the Great Cat So they say without proof that the world around.
Yeah but really he was looking out going he would kill for all for the sake of the
European crown and they found
a pedal people on the shoreline. A gentle people they could turn them into slaves
and they cut those people down doesn't that good to me Give them time to dig their
own graves and I will not celebrate Columbus. I'll not be an honor to his
name. No I will not celebrate Columbus. It is
a day and then to me and she and the floodgates are open and history rolled and the
numbers were uncomfortable the number of Rick streams and every dead one died for
a hot Bell full of gold discarded in the margins of the American dream and I know
it was
a long time ago. I was hard to remember but it's harder still to forget. Living
in the shadow of the whole of cost me some will organize and rise to be
a correct and I will not celebrate Columbus. No I will not give honor to
a killer and
a thief and I will not celebrate Cullen. Not participate in
absurdities.
And there's
a statue up by City Hall. The soldier with his uniform helmet and gun shooting
to his army and Sand Creek. Women and children and what have they done they have
paid their paradise money blood. Their great news on the backs of the dead
and the standard for the good of their arrival. There will be
a price on their head. Celebrate Columbus. No I will.
Not celebrate along. This Texas upside
down world and over. This make sense of senseless. This bill
how we get all of them together. Let's clean up this mess.
Not celebrate along. Celebrate along. Nohow
celebrate. The long.
Run.
Alone me a minute let me borrow your ear I'll sing
a song about Leonard Peltier he's gone along in
a federal jail the innocent the mother. In South
Dakota where the fear was from the presence of one from the mountain the stone is
said people were free to roam there was
a struggle for freedom and. The whole.
Must be lost to the Indian War.
A company to the high command that we need. For oil and
humanity and home. To start
a little Indian for. The orders from away on high and do
all the job or they have the it will be hard I will have. Just
a little trouble following.
You know where the Spirit to dwell was
a time I remember where there were women and children gathered there when the with
little or no misery. It was one of those
to the call when the time and dangerous strangers are probably around.
With me that's
a made their prey and I've done that alone. And three men die in the cold the last
to let the.
That way all they cared about was they're. Going to get somebody for
a couple. Of charges. But let you got away
to the Capitol where we lived for
a while in the northern town. And got it back down.
The. Kinds of murder first degree count they got
a life on the back time. That it will. Take
since. Going back to the job well. Done of the mighty right.
Bad.
Years of suffering over the years makes
a warrior strong and. The
last. Oh.
So expensive. To die for
a moment but time to pass him by. Your reach.
Oh it's all. All right. With the
right man but this trouble for.
The with. This man.
The hollow power of. The power of the rain. The wind.
The pile. O.
Willing to stop meddling in the with the. Spoken here.
Thank you very much.
My country has. Want to make
a lot of I want to spread all around. Me the back of my time there
somebody telling. Me the sun. Do we all.
Want to build
a country notice to appeal to the liberty to write. You're saying. Maybe it'll
help to make. This
a racial. Declaration.
And.
We hold these truths to be self. On hand so. That we're
all. Black. Sort.
Of all right. To.
Make you want. To secure these rights we need. To get the
power from the governed by our send. Them to come talk to. The
right people to alter or of.
What in the current human events. Where government all races all.
These words are written more than years ago. With history. So low.
So low. Government should not be chained by train
cars who want to use the news to me because. It is the.
Response. For all the government and move on.
Yet there. Are
a. Big.
Race in. Your decorating. To.
Say we. Really.
Are.